The Circuit: Democratic Smackdown Day 1 — Warren v. Everyone!
Plus: Trump Check: Is Trump a Serial Sexual Predator? YES!
I interrupt my regularly scheduled rundown of Which Candidate Are You Anyway? For a special, two-part Democratic Debatocalypse edition of your favorite weekly election newsletter. Today, I’m diving into what (and who) you need to know before tonight’s debate and bringing you an important Trump Check. Tomorrow, I’ll be back with a guide to night two and lighting a prayer candle for the lost souls who didn’t make it to the debate stage.
Here’s the info you need to know before the candidates start spewing their many policy positions (and maybe even lip-syncing) for their life.
What time? 9 PM ET tonight, June 26, and tomorrow, June 27.
Where to watch on TV? NBC News, MSNBC in English. Telemundo in Spanish.
Where to watch online? NBC News' digital platforms, including NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, the NBC News Mobile App, Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV, as well as Telemundo's digital platforms. NBC News will also stream the debates live and in full on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
I’m Chris Erik Thomas. Welcome to Issue 08 of Rubber Chicken Circuit, the weekly election newsletter from Study Hall. Read more about us, subscribe here, and forward us to your friends!
Debatocalypse Night 1: Booker, Warren, and the Mole People
The Candidates: Elizabeth Warren, Beto O'Rourke, Bill de Blasio, Tim Ryan, Julian Castro, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, and John Delaney.
Booker (and de Blasio’s) Big Moment: Joe Biden praising the “civility” of two segregationist lawmakers who called him “son” and not “boy” was a nightmarish flub for Uncle Joe (and I’ll get to that), but it was a dream for CORY BOOKER’s campaign. The candidate led the charge against Biden for “the pain his words are dredging up for many Americans.” When he asked Biden to apologize, Biden responded by saying Booker should apologize, which just added fuel to Booker’s fire — especially as Booker fights for a bill to study slavery reparations. It’s a big moment for the Senator and it could be a big talking point tonight, but not just for Booker.
Alongside the “no you apologize” Biden-and-Booker back-and-forth, BILL DE BLASIO jumped into the fray. His awful polling numbers may blunt any and all hopes of being a serious contender, but his rebuttal of Biden was sharp, honey. He brought up the fact that one of the Senators that Biden praised, James Eastland, thought that de Blasio’s marriage to a black woman, poet Chirlane McCray, should be illegal. The only good news to come out of this disaster for Biden is his luck of being put into the second night of debates; just expect whatever strong words de Blasio and Booker have for the frontrunner to come up when Biden takes the stage tomorrow.
Elizabeth v. Everyone: Last week, I went over how lopsided the first night’s debate is for ELIZABETH WARREN. She’s ahead of Beto, her closest rival in tonight’s debate, by an average of nearly ten percentage points and has even jumped ahead of Bernie Sanders in a few polls over the past week, which will lend some gravitas to this national progressive group’s “Switch to Warren” campaign targeting Biden supporters.
In Search of a Spark: Few candidates know the power of a viral moment more than BETO O’ROURKE. The Texan’s 2018 Senate campaign was built on them and even if he didn’t win, he did inspire a 500% rise in young voter turnout. He could definitely use that in the debate as a defense against his sinking polling numbers, but I’m hoping that fellow Texan, JULIÁN CASTRO, uses it to suggest that Beto pack it up and head back to Texas to run for Senate like a majority of the state’s voters want him to do.
As for Castro, the only Hispanic candidate in the race is in an interesting position since the debates take place in Florida, a state whose Hispanic voters registrations jumped from 1.7 million to 2.4 million from 2014 to 2018. He’s either going to scrap with Warren over his own ironclad policy proposals and win over voters or blow one of his last chances to make an impact in the crowded race.
It’s a fate that could also sink the ship of AMY KLOBUCHAR, who has been treading water for most of her campaign. The Senator recently unveiled 137 actions she would take in her first 100 days as president, which should give her 137 possible talking points at the debate. At the very least, it’ll help voters know that Warren isn’t the only woman with a plan.
The Mole People: At the bottom of the barrel, we have four candidates that are just happy to be on stage tonight. Here’s what you need to know.
TIM RYAN voted to reduce federal funding for abortions, but now identifies as pro-choice. JAY INSLEE’s entire campaign is focused on climate change (so far). JOHN DELANEY personally contributed 90% of the money his campaign has raised. And TULSI GABBARD is “skeptical” that Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons on his own people, despite the evidence.
Have feedback or want to slip us a tip? Reply to this or email chris@studyhall.xyz with your scoops and suggestions.
The Trump Check
If a woman is sexually assaulted by Trump and no one is around to care, does it make a difference?
22. That is the number of women who have publicly accused the president of sexual assault or misconduct. The latest allegation came from author and columnist E. Jean Carroll, who said that in the mid-90s, Trump cornered her in a dressing room of the department store Bergdorf Goodman and raped her; to which Trump responded that it would never have happened because “she’s not my type.” As much as I’d like to say that hearing the President of the United States implying that he only rapes people who are his type is shocking, it’s not. It’s revolting but “Trump is a sexual predator” stories are as normal now as breaking news bulletins about mass shootings.
Carroll detailed the assault in her new book What Do We Need Men For? (which… preach), and when the excerpt was initially shared on The Cut, other news outlets barely gave it a mention. Even on The New York Times, which has often led the charge on stories of sexual assault, it was relegated to the Books section, rather than the homepage (something they’ve now apologized for). Yet, even as it’s become more of a news story and prompted Republican senators like Joni Ernst and Mitt Romney to call for an investigation, it still feels like the primary response isn’t outrage — it’s exasperation.
When our president has been accused of sexual misconduct since before he was elected and had no consequences for his actions, it’s hard not to resort to cynicism. Even the 2020 candidates have trotted out the usual canned responses...if they’ve said anything at all. Joe Biden called it a “serious allegation,” Beto O’Rourke said there should be for “accountability and justice,” and Kirsten Gillibrand, who has campaigned hard on fighting for sexual assault victims, never even tweeted about it. The reality is that people knew Trump was a sexual predator and they voted for him anyway. At this point, as Elizabeth Warren explained to reporters last week, “There aren’t any real surprises. Just the details.”
Grab your snacks, tune in tonight, and see you tomorrow for another special serving of the Democratic Debatocalypse edition of Rubber Chicken Circuit.
